Businessman in prison custody for double sale of land

Fiapre, July 8, GNA- A 35 year old businessman, Kofi Asare appeared before a Circuit court at Fiapre near Sunyani for defrauding a woman of an amount of GH 4,150.00 Cedis with the pretext of providing her with a building plot.

Asare pleaded not guilty to two counts of defrauding and false pretence and was granted bail of GHC 10, 000 with a surety but could not get anybody to stand-in and was remanded to prison custody to reappear on July 27.

Prosecuting, Superintendent Fredrick Kwadwo Adjei, told the court presided by Mr. Benjamin Yaw Osei that the complainant was a trader at Abesim whilst the accused lived in Sunyani. He said in 2009, the complainant informed one Solomon Kwakye of her interest in buying a building plot in Sunyani, adding, Kwakye in turn mentioned it to the accused who promised to provide the trader with one.

Superintendent Adjei said the accused later told Kwakye that he had a piece of land at a place near Sunyani Polytechnic and then took complainant and Kwakye to that site.

The accused succeeded in collecting an amount of GHC 4,150.00 from the complainant as the price of the plot, the prosecutor added. He stated that when the trader started building on the land she was confronted by one Kofi Owusu Agyeman who claimed ownership of the land and even provided all the necessary documents to justify his claim.

Superintendent Adjei said the trader went to Asare and informed him about the ownership claim of the land by Agyeman, adding, Asare asked the woman to stop work on the land.

Prosecutor said accused then advised the trader not even go to the place again since he (accused) would refund the money to her and deal with Agyeman personally.

Superintendent Adjei said all efforts by the trader to get her money back from Asare proved futile, saying accused was arrested by the police and upon interrogation, admitted the offence. Prosecutor said the police in their investigation realised that Asare had also sold the same piece of land to another woman, Janet Adu in Sunyani. 8 July 11